When Love Isn't Enough
by davis-baker
Summary: Future FanFiction Seth and Summer seem to have the perfect life. Except, Seth is too caught up in his job. Will he wake up and realize he has a family, before it is too late. CHAPTER 9! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 1-

(A/N– This story takes place in the future. Seth and Summer are married with two kids. Seth is always caught up with his job, causing him to never be home.)

"What time is it?" Summer Cohen asked half asleep, as she woke up to the annoying sound of the alarm clock.

"5:30" replied Seth, already up and out of bed.

"5:30? You don't need to be in work until 9."

"Sorry, I came home late yesterday and I didn't want to wake you. My boss changed my hours. I now work from 7 until 6."

"6? I highly doubt that. You were supposed to get home at 8 this week, but you got home much later." Summer replied, emphasizing the word much.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"You should say sorry to your daughter. She was so upset that you missed her birthday party."

"I thought we got over this." Seth said, obviously not wanting to go into this discussion.

"I know. It's just, she is really hurt Seth."

Seth nodded his head slowly, ashamed.

"Just make sure you're home early tomorrow, for her actual birthday."

Seth and Summer had two kids. Katie and Jessica. Katie, turning 7, was their first child. She has Seth wrapped around her finger, just like Summer. Jessica, 4, is brought up the same way, spoiled. They both have Summer written all over them. Not only appearance wise, but personality too. There are a few things though, that they definitely get from Seth. His huge dimples and the ability to ramble on for hours.

"I'll try." Seth responded to what Summer had said.

"Try? That's not the answer I expected."

Seth looked at the clock.

"I've got to get ready." He said, walking into the bathroom.

Summer was so disappointed in Seth. Katie was going to be devastated once she found Seth might not be home early for her birthday. Summer really loved that Seth is so fascinated with his job, but family is supposed to come first no matter what. Seth's job was creating comic books, so as you can guess, he is well known. Ever since highschool, it seemed to Summer comic books always got in the way. Though, she supported him when he went into the business.

For the next 20 minutes, Summer tried going back to sleep, but she couldn't. She decided to get out of bed and start her day.

Summer was in the bathroom when a knock came upon her door.

"Yes?"

"I gotta go to work, so, I'll see you later."

"Okay bye."

"Love you."

But Summer didn't respond. She loves Seth to death, but sometimes he has to wake up and realize he has a family to take care of. Summer was not looking forward to waking up her two cranky kids, and on top of that have to deal with them asking where there daddy was.

"Hey sweetie." Summer said softly, waking up Katie.

Katie yawned and then responded.

"Where's daddy?"

"What? Your mommy isn't good enough." Summer said, joking around.

Katie giggled. "I'm sorry mommy, it's just, daddy usually wakes me up."

"I know. He had to go to work early. Why don't you get dressed while I wake up Jessie."

"Sure." She replied with a huge grin.

With in no time the three girls were down stairs eating their breakfast.

"Mommy?" asked Jessica, while stuffing a spoonful of Frosted Flakes into her mouth.

"Mhhm."

"I miss daddy."

"I know, we all do. But he will be home tonight and you'll see him then."

"Are you sure?" Jessica questioned her mother.

"Yeah of course." she replied, not too sure of herself.

"And, he'll be home early tomorrow for my birthday, right?" Katie then asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

"He wouldn't miss it for the world." Summer said again, not to sure of herself.

"Good. I can't wait to see all of the presents I get!." Katie said smiling, showing off her dimples.

Summer laughed to her self and thought 'she's definitely my daughter'.

A few minutes passed. Jessica was mumbling to herself when Summer had to interrupt. "Girls, hurry up. It's getting late and I have to get you two to school."

"Ew, I hate school." Katie complained.

"Me too." agreed Jessica.

"Please, pre school is easy, wait until you actually get to elementary school. It's much harder." Katie said with an attitude she definitely got from her mother.

"No" stated Jessica.

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Ye..."

"Girls enough! Stop fighting over... school?" Summer said, annoyed, but slightly confused as to why her children would be fighting over school.

"Sorry mommy." Both girls said with innocent looks on the faces.

"Whatever, lets just go."

"Will this day ever end?" Summer then muttered under her breath so that not one of the girls heard.

A/N - So, this is the 1st chapter. Please review and tell me if you like it and if I should continue.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N - Thanks to all the people that reviewed, keep the reviews coming. Enjoy this chapter.

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 2

Fortunately for Summer, it was finally the end of the day. The girls were already tucked into bed and now Summer could relax. Unfortunately, it would be without Seth. It was already 9 and like always, Seth was late, very late! Summer was just about to sit down and watch her still favorite show after all these years, The Valley, when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Summer, hi."

"Cohen, you better be calling only if your standing right outside and ready to come in." Summer's voice was bitter.

"I wish that was the case. I'm sorry, I'm gonna be a little longer."

"You're already 3 hours late!"

"I'm sorry."

"Cohen, this has to stop! You're always sorry but that doesn't make you come home any faster, that doesn't make your daughters miss you less. Does it?"

"Look, I don't know what to say, but again, sorry."

"Yeah well save your sorrys for someone else." And with that Summer hung up.

Every last bit of what Summer said left Seth feeling horrible.

As much as Summer was angry, she was still upset that Seth was never home for the three of them. She may be really mad at him, but she missed him too. Before she knew it, hot tears were streaming down her face. Then seconds later, she heard one of her kids crying. She recognized the whimper to be Jessica's. She quickly wiped away her own tears and made her way to Jessie's room.

"Baby, what's wrong? Summer said walking towards Jessica."Shh. Shh, Mommy's here. Calm down, what's wrong?"

"I.. I.. miss..da..daddy." Jessica responded stumbling over her words.

"I know sweetie. We all do. But it's gonna be okay.

"But.. I.. I haven't...seen him.. in...in forever. You..promised I would...see...him..to..tonight."

"I know, I'm sorry. Come here." Summer said while pulling her into a hug.

"You wanna stay up with me a little longer? Maybe daddy will come home."

Jessica just nodded.

"Okay, Come on Jessie." Summer said while picking up her four-year old and carrying her into the living room.

"Lets not try and wake Katie, okay?"

"Mhmm." Was all Jessica could mumble out.

"How about we watch some of mommy's favorite show? That always cheers me up."

"Okay." She replied unenthusiastic.

"Aw, baby, please don't be sad. He'll be home soon. He has to come home eventually. Why don't we go sit down? I'll turn on the t.v. and maybe you'll fall asleep. The sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you will wake and daddy might be there."

"Okay." Was all she could say again.

Summer felt so bad for both of her girls. All they wanted was their daddy to come home.

An hour later both Summer and Jessica had dozed off. Seth had finally managed to come home. Once he stepped inside, he noticed the t.v. on and Summer and Jessica lying on the couch. He turned the t.v. off, lay a blanket over the two of them and kissed them on their foreheads.

"I love you." He said barely above a whisper.

The next morning Summer awoke with Jessica still on top of her. She carefully lifted her and brought her into her own room. Summer made her way across the hall into her and Seth's room and noticed Seth was awake. As she stepped in, he emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey." He said with a slight wave.

"Aren't you supposed to be heading to work?" Summer said noticing it was 6:30. Her voice was cold. Seth sensed the tension.

"Well, I called my boss and asked him if I could come in later since I wanted to see my three favorite girls and wish one of them a happy birthday."

Summer was impressed with his efforts to stay home later.

"So, this whole thing with you being obsessed with work is over, right?" She finally spoke up.

"Over. Never gonna happen again. I don't know what that was. Home was just so crazy with Katie and Jess always fighting. I guess I just found some peace and quite at work. And I know, I've said this a million times, but I really, really, really am sorry. I love you."

Summer couldn't stay mad at him when he was like this.

"Well, this time I forgive you. Just, don't ever do this again. I love you too." Summer said with a big smile on her face. They then shared a passionate kiss, one which they hadn't shared for a while.

"I should be waking the girls up in a little bit. They are gonna be so happy that you're here."

"Wake up baby."

Katie mumbled and tossed and turned. This definitely meant she was going to be in a cranky mood.

"Sweetheart, wake up, it's your birthday. And guess what, I have a surprise for you."

Hearing that was like music to her ears.

"What surprise?" She asked suddenly awake.

"Well, why don't you get dressed and you'll see."

"Okay."

"It's your birthday! You should be happy!"

"I am, I just wish daddy was here."

"Well my surprise might cheer you up, so hurry up. Meet me in your sister's room."

"Mommy, you're acting very weird!" Exclaimed Jessica, while Katie nodded her head.

"Come on." She said ignoring them while leading them into the kitchen.

Both of their faces lit up when they saw Seth standing there.

"Daddy!" They both screamed while running towards him to give him a hug.

"Hey I've missed you girls."

"We've missed you too." Summer stayed back and watched her husband and daughters interact.

For the first time in a long time, they had a nice family breakfast where everyone was all smiles. Unfortunately, the girls had to go to go to school.

"Summer, I'll take them. I've still got time." Seth said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. So, I'll see you later. And remember, I'll be home by 6 the latest."

"I'm counting on it." She responded while smiling.

They then shared a quick kiss before he and the kids left. Summer was finally happy. Seth finally realizes that his family is much more important then work... or does he?

Next Chapter- Can Seth live up to his word? Has he really learned that family comes first?

A/N - Please Review:)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 3

"Seth, I'm gonna need you to stay a little longer. There's a meeting at 6:15."

"Mr. Scott, I can't. You see it's my daughter's birthday and I promised her and my wife I would be home."

"I understand. But, if you leave then you can say goodbye to your job. This meeting is very vital."

"Sir, you really aren't leaving me with any choices. I made a promise that I would be home by 6. Can't you reschedule the meeting?"

"Nope. So, if I don't see you by 6:15, then this is a goodbye to your comic book." His boss then hung up.

"Great, just great." Seth said under his breathe.

"You've made the right choice." Mr. Scott said while seeing Seth walk in the board room.

"I hope my wife thinks so." He replied, clearly ashamed that he had let his family down once again.

_Meanwhile:_

"Hey, this is Seth. I'm not here at the moment so leave a message and I'll try getting back to you."

"Why aren't you picking up?! I can't believe you! You let us down once again. I thought you changed. And by the way, don't bother calling back!" Summer said in the phone angrily.

From the background, Katie appeared.

"That was daddy, right? He's not coming is he?"

"I'm sorry baby." Summer said shaking her head.

"I should've known."

"Well who knows. Maybe he's stuck in traffic and he will be here soon."

"Mommy, I'm 7, not 6 anymore."

Summer gave a little laugh.

"I know sweetie. I'm sorry."

"So, I guess it's just the three of us tonight."

"We're used to it though. And we don't need your daddy to have fun. It's your birthday what do you want to do?"

"Well, I wanted to spend time with daddy." Katie responded sadly.

"Try not to think about that. What else do you wanna do?"

"I guess the next best thing would be to go shopping."

Summer laughed.

"That's my girl. I say, the three of us go on a little shopping spree with daddy's credit card."

"Sounds like fun!" the little girl said, cheering up.

"Okay, so let me go Jessie and then we'll be on our way."

Seth looked at his watch. It was already 8:30. He had just gotten out of the meeting and listened to Summer's message. He was in big trouble.

He stepped into the house very quietly and noticed the three girls on the couch watching "The Valley".

"Mommy, this makes no sense." Jessica said.

"Sure it does. This is where April finds out that 3 years ago Jake had a child with a girl who happens to be her mother, who left her when she was a little kid." Summer rambled on.

"Huh?" Jessica said, very confused.

"Never mind."

Seth laughed to himself. Even after all these years, Summer would never give up her love for "The Valley". Seth then decided to interrupt.

"Hey guys." He said uneasily.

Summer ignored him and then said, "Hey girls. Why don't we get ready for bed and then we can finish watching this episode?"

"Okay." The two of them answered racing up the stairs.

Once the girls were upstairs, Seth decided to break the silence.

"Summer, we need to talk."

"You know what? No. I've given you enough chances to talk. Maybe tomorrow when I calm down a little, but now I am too angry at you, so no."

Summer then went upstairs to the girls.

About an hour later, Seth decided that since Summer wouldn't talk to him he would talk to Katie.

Seth knocked on her door.

"Come in." She said in a tired voice.

"Oh hey sweetie you're up. Um, can I talk to you?"

"I guess."

"I just want you to know that I am very sorry I wasn't home earlier. I love you so much and I just can't stand it when you're mad at me. I mean, I understand why you are mad, I would be mad too, it's just..."

"Daddy, you're rambling!"

"Right, sorry. Let me get straight to the point. You have a right to be angry with me, I'm sorry, and just remember, I love you." He said, then kissed her forehead, and started walking out the door.

"Daddy?" He turned around.

"I love you too." She gave him a little smile.

He smiled back. "Good night sweetheart, Happy Birthday." Seth then walked out of the room, smiling to himself, happy he had made things right with one of his girls. The rest of the night was silent. Summer had said not one word to Seth.

It was early in the morning and Seth was pouring himself a cup of coffee. He then heard footsteps coming down the stairs, it was Summer.

"We need to talk."

"Yeah." He said quietly, afraid of what was going to happen.

"Look, I'm just going to get right to the point. This is hard, but Cohen, I want you out. Out of this house by this afternoon."

"Summer..." He said shocked.

"Cohen, lets face it. You're never home and whenever you are we fight. You're never here to clean the girls' scrapes from when they fall. You're never here to tuck them into bed. You're just never here whenever they want their daddy. I'm sorry, but, I just can't do this anymore."

"So what does this mean for us?" He asked, still shocked about what just happened.

"I don't know. I'm not saying anything about a divorce. I just think we need a break."

"What about the girls?"

"Well obviously they are staying with me. You're never home to take care of them. If you wanna see them, then just make sure I know you're with them."

"If this is what you really want..."

"Seth, it's for the best." She said with tears forming in her eyes.

He nodded sadly.

"I'll be out by this afternoon. I love you." He said softly and slowly, while walking away.

Next Chapter-

How will the kids react to Seth moving out?

A/N - Thanks for all of the people that reviewed the other chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!


	4. Chapter 4

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 4

A/N - Most of this chapter is in flashback, which is in italic.

"Daddy, don't leave. Don't go! No!" Katie and Jessica were both hysterical, watching their father possibly leave their life forever. Let's just say, when Seth and Summer told the girls about Seth's departure, it did not go well.

_Flashback-_

"_Mommy, what's going on?" Katie asked during breakfast, noticing the awkward silence._

"_Nothing." Summer quickly responded._

"_Nothing? What happened before was nothing?" Seth said, wondering why Summer was lying to their children._

_Katie and Jessica were confused about what their parents were talking about._

"_Cohen, just shut up." Summer said, glancing at him._

"_I didn't do anything. I just think we should tell them what's happening." _

"_What's happening?" Both said curious._

"_Well, your daddy has a big mouth, why doesn't he just tell you. Seth?" _

"_Oh no Summer. That's okay, you can go, I mean, after all it was your idea."_

"_Can one of you please just tell us!" Katie said irritated, as Jessica nodded her head. _

"_Okay girls...Well..." Seth started._

"_Well daddy... is... um..." Summer interrupted, but couldn't finish her sentence._

"_What about daddy?"_

"_Okay. I'm just going to say it. Daddy is moving out." Summer said quickly._

_Seth looked down, afraid of what his daughters' reactions would be._

"_Why?!" Both girls asked sadly._

"_Well, we though it was for the best."_

_Seth had to disagree. "No Summer. Not we, you!" Seth then walked out of the kitchen._

_By now both girls were in tears._

"_Why are you making him leave?" Sobbed Jessica through tears._

"_Girls, it's for the best."_

"_No, it's not." They both cried one after another._

"_But... we love him." Jessica said quietly._

"_I know." Summer replied._

"_If you know, then you wouldn't make him leave!" Katie screamed at her mother, tears streaming down her face._

"_Do not use that tone of voice with me, young lady!" Summer screamed back._

_Seth knocked on the door of what used to be him and Summer's room._

"_Come in, Summer replied, hearing the knock, oh, it's you." She said again, hoping maybe it would be Katie or Jessica. She wanted to apologize for screaming earlier._

"_Yeah, it's me. I just, um, wanted to know if you really wanna go through with this."_

"_Look, if this is one of your plans for you to get me to change my mind, it's not going to work."_

"_It's not, he responded quickly, I promise. My bags are already packed_ _and I already called my parents and asked them if I could stay."_

"_What did they say?"_

"_They basically said, you are right. I should be home more often, and I let my family done too many times. So anyway, back to my question, is this what you really want Summer just say it, yes or no. if you say yes, I promise I will be gone within the hour. But Summer, this is our family's future we are talking about."_

_For a second Summer was going to say no, no, she wanted him to stay. Stay with their family and care for them and provide love for them every day. But, she couldn't bring herself to say that. She knew if she gave him another chance, he would screw it up again. And she couldn't let him do that. So, the answer was yes, yes, leave, we don't need you anymore. But the truth was, they did need him! So much. God, why was this so hard for Summer._

"_Summer, hello?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Yes what?"_

"_Yes, yes I'm sure." She said slowly, swallowing a lump in her throat, fighting back tears. Seth was disappointed. _

"_Fine." Was all he could say, and walked out of their bedroom, possible forever._

_Seth walked into Katie and Jessica's playroom, ready to say goodbye."_

"_Please don't leave daddy."_

"_Please!" Both girls kept saying._

"_I wish I didn't have too. Believe me, if I could stay, I would in a heartbeat."_

"_Why is mommy making you leave?"_

"_Because, I'm never here for you girls."_

"_But we love you."_

_Seth smiled. "I love you too. But, you girls deserve better than me anyway. A person that will be by your side no matter what. Somebody that will never let you down. Just remember, I love you both." He said, then kissed their foreheads and left._

_End flashback_

"Don't leave!"

"I love you." He said, while closing the door behind him. Every step he took away from the house, lowering the volume of the girl's loud cries.

Summer came downstairs, realizing Seth left. She felt bad for her daughters, though, it was for the best... wasn't it?

"Hey girls, it's gonna be okay." She said in a calm, soothing voice.

"No it's not. How can it ever be the same? You kicked daddy out!" Katie said, hysterical.

Summer tried pulling both girls into a hug, but Katie pulled away. "Don't! Get away from me, She said while standing up, then continued, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She then ran up to her room, leaving Summer and Jessica behind.

"I don't hate you mommy."Jessica said, tears running down her face.

"Thanks baby but right now, I kinda hate myself."

The rest of the day was silent. Summer had both girls asleep and she finally entered her room. It felt so weird. Not that Seth was usually there anyway, it was just knowing he may never be in that room again. Summer made her way over to her drawer, pulling out a small book. It was a diary. None of her family knew about it. She wrote in it rarely, only if something exremelly important happened. The first time she had actually written in it was when she found out her parents were getting divorced. Quickly glancing over the first page, she remembered how she felt when her parents split and realized what her children were feeling know. Moving on further in the book, other memories flooded her head; when she and Seth first started dating, Seth sailing away, Seth proposing to her, the day Katie was born, the day Jessica was born, and other major events that happened. But, by looking over the pages she only realized one thing- most of her life consisted of Seth Cohen-. Had she really made the right choice? Summer decided to write an entry for today; this definitely consisted of a major event.

Dear Diary,

Wow, has a lot changed since I've last written to you. I think that today I made the biggest mistake of my life. Letting Seth go. I keep trying to convince myself that it was the right decision for our family, but now I am not too sure. The girls both hate me, even though only Katie has admitted it. But, I can't blame them, I hate myself right now too. It's just, Seth was never home and he kept making excuses and letting us down. At first I felt going on break was the right thing to do, now I am a bit hesitant. Especially remembering my reaction to when my mom left me. I was 13 and it hurt that bad, they are only 7 and 4. It really hurts, having somebody you love that's been there for you your entire life just disappear. I want to give Katie and Jessie space, but I really want to talk to them about what happened. I am such a mess right now, and I have no idea what to do. I guess time will tell. Well, that's all for now.

Until next time,

Summer

Summer slowly closed the diary, placing it in the drawer. She then noticed a picture of her and Seth from their wedding day. She picked it up and stared at it for a good few minutes.

"I love you." She said, then finally placing it down. She then turned off the light and lay down in her empty bed, wishing it wasn't empty.

A/N - I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please Review: )


	5. Chapter 5

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 5-

"How was your day with daddy?" Summer asked the kids as they all entered the house.

"Better then when we spend it with you." Replied Katie.

Summer, used to her daughters bitter and snide remarks, after all, she had been dealing with it for about a month, gratefully accepted the answer and continued talking. "And what about you, Jess?"

"It was fun!"

"Well, that's good."

It was around Chrismukkah time, coming near was the one month anniversary of Seth's departure. Ever since that day, the house had a cold tension, mostly because of Katie. Since then, she was bitter and rude, and blocked all of her feelings out, not letting anyone in. She did not talk to Summer like they used, and if she happens to say something to her, it would be a snide comment that was unnecessary. Summer is very worried, and as much as she tries to get her daughter to talk, Katie just doesn't budge.

Jessica, though, handled it in a whole different way. She actually grew closer to Summer and barely left her side. Summer is worried about her too, because this shows that Jessica is afraid that Summer may leave too.

The girls go with Seth twice a week. Though Seth and Summer see each other a lot, they never really talk besides a 'hello' or 'goodbye'.

"It was fun!" Katie said, mimicking her sister.

"Mommy, tell her to stop." A very whiney Jessica said.

"She can't make me do anything."

"I'm your mother, yes I can. Now go up to your room. Now!"

"Fine. But the only reason I'm going is so I don't have to hear your voice." Katie said bitterly walking up the stairs. Once she was upstairs, Jessica started to ask Summer a question.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is Katie like this? She's starting to scare me." Jessica said softly.

"Me too, Jessie, me too. But, she's just dealing with something and it will blow over. You probably just don't understand it right now, you will when you get older. So, just let her be, she'll come around. So, tell me, what did you do with daddy today?" Summer then said, trying to get off the subject.

"I may only be 4, but I know that you are trying to get off the subject."

Summer smiled. "I am."

"But that's okay, Jessica said returning the smile, "Well, today,... " Jessica started rambling on about her day.

'Boy, is this going to be a long day.' Summer thought to herself, blocking out her daughter's rambling. Her thoughts we interrupted.

"Mommy?! Are you listening?"

"Yes sweetie."

"Good! So, as I was saying,..."

'Yup, a very long day.' She thought again.

_The next day:_

"Kate, dinner's ready." Summer said, from behind her daughter's bedroom door.

"I'm not hungry." She heard a murmur.

"Katie, you have to eat." Summer said, while opening the door.

"I said, I'm not hungry!" Katie replied, raising her voice.

"I don't know what is up with you these days, but you need to drop the attitude right away."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Look, I'm not playing your little games. Now, I'll tell you again, dinner is ready."

"And I'll tell you again, I'm . . . Not . . . Hungry!"

Summer very frustrated replied, "Fine, be that way. And if you think that I will feel sorry for you, you are very mistaken. You are not the only one that is dealing with what has happened." She then closed the door and muttered to herself. "When did seven year olds become such a pain?"

It was later on in the night, when the three of them got back. They had gone out because Summer had a few errands to run and even though Katie threw a fit refusing she wasn't going to go, she basically had no choice but to go, seeing as how she can't be left home alone. Also, Summer saying that if she didn't go, she wasn't going to be getting any presents for Chrismukkah may have helped as well.

"Girls, go get ready for bed."

As the girls made their way up the stairs, Summer noticed she had a new message on her cell. She pressed the phone against her ear, hearing a familiar voice. It was Seth.

"Hey Summer, it's me. I know that I'm like the last person you wanna to speak to, but I have something really important to say. I know tomorrow is Chrismukkah, and I was going to spend some time with the girls, but I just found out a few hours ago that my office is being moved to New York City for a few months and a last minute business trip was scheduled. We're flying out there in a few hours. Our flight is at 9:30. I called, thinking maybe I can stop by and say goodbye, but obviously you're not there, so, yeah. Listen, I know this isn't the reason I called, but again, I really have to say sorry. I really wish we can work out our problems, I really miss you. I miss spending time with you every day. And, I really love you. I mean it. But, I guess that love isn't always enough. You wanted me to show commitment to our family and I really screwed up. I'm sorry Summer, I really am. So, I guess I'll be seeing you guys in a few months. Tell Kate and Jess that I'm really sorry, that I'll miss them, and that I love them so much. I love you Summer, don't forget that."

After listening to Seth's extremely long message, Summer was in tears.

'He's leaving. What did I do? I managed to chase him out of the state. Now the girls really are going to hate me. Wait, what time is it? Maybe I still have time. Great, it's 9:18. Now what am I going to do? Wait, I think I have an idea.'

"Mommy?, Jessica said, coming down the stairs, interrupting Summer's thoughts. "I'm ready to be tucked in."

"Okay sweetie, come on." Summer said, taking her daughters hand and walking up to her room.

"Goodnight mommy, I love you." Jessica said, tucked in.

"I love you too, baby. Goodnight." Summer said, turning off the light and walking out the door. Seconds later, Summer reappeared, turning the light back on. "Sweetie, what do you think about spending Chrismukkah in New York?"

A/N - Thanks for all the reviews for the other chapters. So, there's chapter 5, please review! Hope you enjoyed it :)


	6. Chapter 6

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 6-

"Okay, thanks. Great, thank you. Happy holidays." Summer had just gotten off the phone with Seth's company, finding out where exactly the new office was located.

After Summer suggested the idea going to New York, Jessica asked maybe a million questions and kept rambling on. Of course, once Summer mentioned Seth would be there, she was all for the plan. "Anything to see her daddy on Chrismukkah", or something along those lines was said, Summer couldn't remember, that child rambled on about everything and it really was hard to keep track of what she was saying. Summer smiled thinking of her younger child. She was so much easier to take care of compared to the very stubborn Katie. Which led Summer to her next adventure - talking to Katie. She carefully placed the paper with the address she had just wrote down in her purse, then got up and made her way to Katie's room. She wasn't prepared to see the sight before her. Sitting straight up in her bed, Katie was drenched in tears and continued on in hysterics.

"Oh my god, sweetie what's wrong?" Summer rushed to her bed side. She truly was concerned. This was the first time in a month Katie was crying, well, at least from what Summer knew.

"I'm sorry mommy." She said, stumbling over her words as the tears kept falling.

"About what?" Was her daughter actually apologizing? Summer truly was shocked. Katie rarely apologized. That was a trait that she definitely got from Summer.

"About how I was acting. I just really miss daddy. A lot." She was apologizing!

"I know sweetie. I'm sorry too." Summer said, pulling Katie into their first hug in over a month. The two stayed just like that in silence for a few minutes. Summer letting Katie drench her shirt with tears.

"Mommy?" Katie said quietly, breaking the silence.

Summer looked at her daughter and motioned her to go on with her question.

"Is it Jessica's or my fault that daddy left?"

"Is that what you think?"

Katie shrugged and then replied, "Maybe."

"No. Oh my god, no. Sweetheart, look at me," Summer said, lifting Katie's chin up so she was looking directly at her, she then continued, " It was not you or your sister's fault that he left. It was a decision made by me and your father, and had nothing to do with you or your sister. So don't ever, ever, think that. What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know. It's just, whenever he didn't come home, me and Jess were sad. Then you would yell at him for making us feel sad. And I think, maybe if we weren't sad or something, you wouldn't get into fights with him. I don't know, I just thought, maybe..." Her voice then trailed off.

"Sweetie, that wasn't the only reason I was mad at him. It wasn't your fault, or your sister's fault. Okay? I don't want you feeling guilty about this."

"Okay. Are we seeing him tomorrow?"

"Actually, he called me earlier saying he wasn't going to be able to see you guys. His office is being moved to New York City, I know that would disappoint you girls so I came up with a plan."

"I was looking forward to seeing daddy tomorrow. What's the plan?"

"Well, we're gonna go to New York and find daddy."

"Really?!", Katie was excited but she was curious to see why her mother would want to see Seth, "But you don't want to see daddy."

"Well, I want to make you girls happy. And, I actually need to talk to him about something. And, can you keep a secret? But you have to promise that you won't tell Jessie, because we all know she can't keep a secret." Summer said

"I promise." She said anxiously awaiting the secret. "I even pinky swear." She then said, taking her finger and wrapping it around her mother's.

"Oh wow, a pinky swear, you must be telling the truth."

"Mhhm." Katie said, now really anxious to what the secret is.

"Well, I still love your daddy, and I miss him a lot. So, I'm looking forward to seeing him too."

"That's the secret? What kind of secret is that?"

"Well sorry my secret was lame." Summer said, joking around.

"It's just, everyone knows you still love him and miss him."

"Oh really? And who said that?"

"Well, daddy said it."

"Oh really, he did."

"Mhhm. And I have a secret for you."

"And what is that?"

"Daddy still loves you and misses you too."

"Oh really? Well, aren't you a girl filled with many secrets."

"Yes, but you have to promise you won't tell anyone I said that."

"I promise." Summer then looked at the clock. "It's getting late, and you're gonna have to get up early tomorrow for the flight. You're also going to have to pack your suitcase tomorrow."

"Okay mommy, I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

Summer then turned off the light and left the room. 'Maybe this hadn't turned out to be a bad day after all.' Summer thought to herself.

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"Are we all ready to go?" Summer asked the next day, ready to leave for the airport.

"Yes." The two girls walked up to the door.

"Jessica, what are you wearing?" Summer asked, eyeing her daughter he was wearing a mini skirt.

"My favorite skirt."

"Sweetie, it's very cold in New York. You need to go upstairs and change."

"Ugh, nobody tells me anything." She grunted while making her way upstairs.

"Hurry up. I don't wanna be late." Katie just shook her head at how stupid her sister was at times. Of course, she couldn't say that. Summer would not like that very much.

"Do we even have tickets?" Katie then asked Summer as they were waiting for Jessica to change.

"Nope, that's why we have to get there early. But it shouldn't be a problem. At least I hope not."

Five minutes later, Jessica came down in new clothes.

"Okay, do we have everything?"

"Yup."

"Then lets go."

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"How can I help you?"

"Um, three tickets for flight 118 to New York." Summer said.

"Sorry, that flight was cancelled."

"What?!"

"There is unpredicted weather in the area at the moment. We had to cancel the flight. Sorry for the inconvenience. Happy Holidays"

"That's okay. Thanks for your help. Happy Holidays"

Summer then made her way over to where the kids sat.

"So, did you get the tickets?" Asked Jessica.

"The flight was cancelled."

"So, no daddy?"

"I'm sorry girls. I know how you were really looking forward to seeing him."

"That's okay. You tried."

"Alright, well let's go home."

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"Hey girls, why don't you start unpacking your bags. I have to make a call."

Once both girls had made their way upstairs, Summer dialed a familiar number, Seth's. She really needed to talk to him, unfortunately she got his voice mail.

"Hey Seth, it's me. I really need to tell you something important. We actually tried coming to see you, it's a long story, but um, the flight was cancelled. The girls miss you, and surprisingly, I miss you too. So, yeah I really need to tell you something, so please call back when you get a chance. I love you. Merry Chrismukkah." Summer tried fighting back tears. This Chrismukkah wasn't so merry.

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A/N - So I finally updated. Sorry for the wait. Thanks for all the reviews I recieved, they are very important to me. So everybody, please review!!! Also, if you haven't already, check out my new story, "Our New Journey Together". Happy Holidays!


	7. Chapter 7

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 7 -

Chrismukkah had came and passed as well as New Years. It was now the very beginning of January and things were finally starting to become normal again, well, with the exception of Seth not being with his family. It amazed Summer that just a year ago their family seemed perfect. Yeah, Seth tended to stay late once every month or so, but it was never that bad. When Seth would walk in the door from work, they would all rush over to greet him, rather then them all being asleep which is how it was not too many months ago. It wouldn't really be special if Seth got home before six o'clock because then that was the time he usually did get home. Now, it is a miracle if he gets home by 6. And most importantly last year, they all seemed _happy_. They all felt like they were complete. Now, Summer would give anything for them to feel that way again. Wow, a lot really does change in a year.

Seth never called Summer back on Chrismukkah after she left her message, Summer called maybe two more times. After a while she just gave up, obviously he wasn't going to call back. She really didn't know why Seth didn't call her back, in all her messages she had said that what she had to tell him was urgent. She realized he had a right to be mad, after all, she did kick him out.

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"Have a good day at school." Summer said to Katie as her seven-year-old stepped out of the car.

Summer started driving back home. She was by herself for the day, before she dropped of Katie, she dropped Jessica at her preschool. As Summer drove her car up into her driveway, she realized somebody was standing in front of the door and it looked like the person was waiting for someone. She got a closer look and the person looked like . . . Seth!

'_Why the hell is Seth here?'_ That is the only thought running through her head. What should she do? Should she say hi? Should she ignore him? She should just go right out and tell him the 'news'? Her thoughts were distracted when she noticed him coming towards her car.

'_Shit, shit. What should I do?'_ Somehow, Summer managed to take a deep breath and step out of her car.

"Hey." He said barely above a whisper, looking down at the ground.

"Hi." Wow, this is so awkward.

"Um . . . " Seth started but he didn't know what to say.

"Do you, um, wanna come in?" Had Summer really just asked Seth inside???

Seth just nodded his head.

"So . . ." Summer said once they had gotten inside.

"Yeah. This really shouldn't be awkward. It's only been about a month and a half."

"Well, a lot has happened in that time." There was a long awkward moment of silence. "Look, Cohen, why are you here?" She had totally forgotten about the messages she had left.

"You left me a few messages saying it was urgent. I wanted to call back but, . . . I didn't know what to say. I mean, I know you can't forgive me and that we can't go back to how we used to be because a lot really has happened, but I really don't want you to hate me. And I know, you kept saying in your messages that you miss me and stuff but those 'I miss you's' don't quite sound the same as they would've about a year ago." Seth rambled on. Usually, Summer got really annoyed when he rambled on about nonsense, but this was actually really sweet. She wanted to forgive him so bad. Her heart keeps telling her to forgive him but her mind knows that she shouldn't take and chance of her family getting hurt again.

"Sorry," He said, slightly smiling, realizing he was rambling, "What I mean to say is, I want to be a family again. And I'm not saying anything about us, but do we have to be enemies? I miss you Summer."

"I miss you too. And, I want to be a family again too." Did Summer really just say that? After Summer realized she had said that, she realized that maybe, perhaps she said it under the influence of her 'news'. Which reminds her, she didn't tell him the news yet!

"Seth..."

"What?" He said moving closer towards her sensing something was wrong.

"I'm . . . pregnant." She blurted out.

"What?" He was in shock.

"Im pregnant." She said again slowly.

"You're pregnant?" He tried processing this in. It seems simple, but not to Seth.

"Yes, two months."

"You're pregnant." He said again, this time, not questioning. Out of nowhere, his arms automatically flung around her in a hug. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away.

"What does this mean for us?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm going to be here for you no matter what. We'll work things out." He said, then kissed her forehead.

"You can stay here if you want."

"Thanks. I'm going to go and get my bags from my car."

"Okay." Summer replied, making her way upstairs as Seth went outside. She quickly found her diary. The last time she wrote in it was when Seth left.

Dear Diary,

I think today, I made a huge mistake. I told Seth I was pregnant so he would sort of feel obligated to stay with us. I felt, if I didn't tell him I may loose him forever. Well, I told him, and it worked, he is staying. The only problem is, I'm not pregnant...

A/N - Sorry it took awhile for this story to be updated. As I mentioned in one of my other stories, I had realized I had anonymous reviews disabled, so I enabled them meaning please everybody review. They mean so much to me, they really do! I would like to say thanks to the people that review my story, you don't know how much it makes my day to see a review. (Especially good ones.) No, just kidding, seriously though, be honest when you review, if it isn't good or it needs improving you can tell me. Just don't be too harsh, after all, I'm only 12 years old. Hopefully I will update soon, though I really apologize if it takes awhile, I get writers block quite often, it really sucks : ( ! So everybody PLEASE REVIEW!!!! THANKS SO MUCH!


	8. Chapter 8

When Love Isn't Enough

Chapter 8 -

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"Summer." Seth called as he re-entered the house, startling Summer.

"Um, yeah," She said, quickly closing the diary and placing it back into the drawer, "I'm up here."

"Oh, hi," He said once he reached their bedroom, "Are you okay?" He asked noticing she looked very suspicious.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She said quickly.

"Um nothing, never mind." He replied confused.

"Okay...," Summer said after and awkward minute of silence, "Well, I'm gonna go and take a shower, I'll be back soon." She said as she escaped the awkwardness.

Seth sighed as he sat down on the bed. He missed Summer so much and it pained him that it was so awkward between them, and now they had another child on the way..., things were way too complicated. He sat there for a good few minutes deep in thoughts when out of the corner of his eye, noticed that the drawer wasn't closed all the way. He pushed it in, but it was jammed. And what caused the jamming? The diary! The diary that held Summer's secret, the secret Seth didn't know. He picked up the book and didn't recognize it. He opened it and started skimming through the pages and finally realized it was Summer's diary. He knew he shouldn't be reading it, it was all in the past anyway, right? Wrong, he finally arrived at the latest entry, the entry with the secret.

He read it quickly and must have thought he read it incorrectly, so he kept reading it over and over. '_The only problem is, I'm not pregnant.' _!!! Seth said there, speechless and astounded at what he just read. Why would she lie to him about that? They really needed to talk. He waited there with the book in his hand until she appeared again.

"Cohen, what are you doing?" She asked, eying the diary.

"Why don't you tell me." He said coldly.

"Look, if it's about that-"

"Yeah, it is Summer," He said, cutting her off, "Why did you lie?"

"I don't know." She said, but the truth was, she did know.

"That's not a good enough answer! Why?"

Summer just shook her head, her freshly applied makeup now smudged all over her face. She really screwed up when she told him she was pregnant.

"Cohen, I don't know, I really don't know."

"You're lying. People don't just randomly tell their husbands that they're pregnant when they are actually not. Summer, look at me," He said as Summer's eyes lifted up from the floor, now staring at him, "Why?" He asked.

"Look," Summer said, taking a deep breathe and wiping some tears away smudging more of her makeup, "Shortly after you left us, I regretted everything I said. And I know that this whole thing is my fault because it was my idea for you to leave. But, seeing the girls miserable and myself feeling miserable, I knew I made the wrong choice. And I just didn't know how to tell you that. And then, we were going to go to New York to see you, and I thought I would just tell you everything there and see how things fall into place. But my luck, we couldn't get there. And I just felt so confused and I didn't know what else to do. And I called you but you never called me back. And that lie was the first thing that popped into my head. I thought maybe, just maybe, if I said that, you would feel like you needed to stay, or it would make you love me again. Because I know that you don't love me any more because of what I did to you. But I need you to love me because I still love you so much." Summer said hysterically crying.

"Summer," Seth said after taking her whole conversation in, "I love you so much. I never stopped, don't ever think that. We all make mistakes, and let me tell you, none of yours will ever make me stop loving you. It's just this whole situation isn't going to go away overnight, it's going to take time to fix. And just because I'm not willing to forget about, does not mean I don't love you. Because if there's one thing I am certain about in life it's my love for the kids, and my love for you. Okay?"

Summer just nodded her head and hugged him, burying her head in his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Me too," He said stroking her hair, "Me too."

"Okay," Seth said after a period of silence, "Are you ready to talk about it now?"

"Okay." She said barely above a whisper.

"All right, so I know this whole thing started because of my work habits. But I promise you Summer, it will change. I'll never be that way again."

"That's what you said last time, and that lead up to this whole thing. You couldn't keep that promise."

"I know, but I've learned now Summer. Now I know I could loose things that are much more important than my job, I almost lost my family."

"What about us?," She asked, "It's so awkward between the two of us."

"After awhile it will go away. We just have to put the past behind us. It'll get better."

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't think it's being resolved too quickly?"

"This thing has been going on too long. I'm positive about this, I can't be apart from you any more."

"Me either. I love you." She said as tears formed in her eyes.

"I love you too."

The exchange of those small words made everything seem so much better.

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A/N - A S/S reunion, yay!

The next chapter will be the last of this story. Please Review: )


	9. Chapter 9

When Love Isn't Enough -

A/N - I am SO sorry it took forever for me to update. I've been very busy and have had major writers block. I hope you enjoy this chapter (this is the last chapter). I just want to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story from the beginning until the very end! If it weren't for you guys this story would've never made it this far. Thanks again, and please review one last time. Enjoy!

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Chapter 9 -

"So, how was school today?" Summer asked her two daughters as she drove home.

Seth and Summer spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon just talking about what had happened over the past month. How Katie and Jessica were and how much they all missed one another. As the hours passed, the awkwardness just sort of died off. Sure, it didn't feel exactly the same as before, but it did feel semi-normal. Hopefully this time Seth will be able to live up to his word.

"It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Mhmm."

"And what about you, Jess?"

"Oh my god, mommy it was horrible...," Jessica started with dramatics, "First I get to school and Kelly is wearing the same shirt as me, and then later, I was drawing a picture and Amanda said it was really pretty but then Evan came over and told me it was ugly. Today was so bad." She said slightly shaking her head.

Summer couldn't help but laugh at a little out her overly-dramatic four year old.

"Mommy, it's not funny!"

"I'm sorry sweetie. You're right, but I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day."

"And how was your day mommy?" Katie asked after her sister finally shut up.

"Oh, well it was interesting." Summer said hesitating, as she drove up the block, coming closer to their house. She didn't want to tell the kids that Seth was back because she wanted them to be surprised, which they definitely would be.

"That looks like daddy's car." Jessica said pointing to a range rover that was parked right near their driveway.

"Hmm...It does." Summer said suspiciously as she parked the car.

"Jessica," Katie started as Summer, her sister, and she all got out of the car, "Don't be silly. Daddy isn't home and he won't be for a-." She was then cut off when the door opened, revealing Seth.

"Daddy!"

"Oh my god, you're back!" Both girls ran to their father giving him a great big hug.

"I missed you daddy."

"Yeah, we missed you."

"Well, I missed you girls too."

"I'm going to upstairs for a minute, give you guys some time to talk." Summer said as she went upstairs.

"Daddy?" Jessica asked breaking the silence.

"Mhmm?"

"Are you back for good?"

"You're not going to leave again, are you?" Katie then asked following her sister's question.

"Listen...I'm going to speak to you like you are mature young girls...-."

"Daddy, we are!" Jessica said defensively.

"Continue..." Katie said rolling her eyes at her sister.

"Well, I can't tell you what will happen in the future. But, mommy and I realized we made a mistake. Unfortunately, I can't promise you that mommy and I will never get into another fight again, and I can't promise you that this won't happen again-." Seth said but was cut off by Jessica.

"No! I don't want you to leave again." She said while tears started forming in her eyes.

"Baby, let me finish... Let's just say, if this does happens again, for some reason, and mommy says I need to get out of the house, I'm never going to leave you girls. I love you two to death and I will always be here for you. Always. And mommy too. Even though we may fight, we will always still love each other. Okay? Don't ever think that I'm not gonna be here for you." Seth said, not noticing that Summer had reappeared.

"I love you daddy."

"I love you too daddy."

"I love you girls too." He said giving them both a hug.

Summer cleared her throat making the three of them aware of her presence.

"Hey mommy."

"Sorry to interrupt your group hug." She said with a slight laugh.

"That's okay mommy. Do you want to join?"

"Sure... why not?" She said with a smile on her face as she made her way down the stairs to where the three of them were.

All four of them really missed this; family time. It had been months since they felt like a family, but now here they were, finally picking up the pieces.

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"Cohen, can I talk to you?" Summer asked later that night after the girls were asleep.

"Yeah sure. What's up?" He replied, sitting down on the bed, motioning for her to sit.

"Well, I know the whole fight and all started because of your job. And, I know that me saying this may seem pretty stupid and might not make any sense," She said quickly, "Okay, let me just get straight to the point, I don't want you to quit your job because of this. It's your passion and it's like me telling you not to follow your dream."

"Summer, my family comes first. I'm not going to let my job come in the way of our family again, I've learned the hard way, and if that means quitting my job, then I'll do it, for Katie and for Jessie, and for you."

"But Seth, I don't want you to do that!"

"Summer, I don't understand. About two months ago you got pissed at me about my job, now your practically begging me to go."

"I just don't want you giving up your dream. I'll feel guilty for a long time if you quit. Can't you call and just get reassigned to your old office?"

"I can do that...But, I don't want the same thing happening again, us getting into a huge argument over work."

"If you can control your work habits, it won't."

"Are you sure you want me to do this?"

"Yes, just promise me that you'll be home during normal hours not at midnight."

"I promise, and this time, I mean it."

"Good." She said smiling.

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Seth was able to go back to his old office and he had been attending his job for a week now. Surprisingly, he was able to keep his word, the latest he was home by was six and the family was finally getting back to their normal basics.

"Girls, go wash up for dinner." Summer called to her daughters who were watching t.v.

"Okay." They both replied as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Summer." Seth's voice came through the phone.

"Cohen, where are you?" Summer asked eyeing the clock that read '6:46'. She was starting to get nervous. Was Seth going back to his old routines?

"Um... about that. I got stuck at work and I'm going to be here a little while longer. I'm sorry."

"Are you kidding me? I can't believe you."

"I'm-." Seth started but was interrupted by the door bell on the other side.

"Cohen, I gotta go, I'll see you later." Summer said sadly as she hung up the phone.

"Who is it?" Summer asked as she slightly opened the door.

"Hey." The person on the other side of the door said with a wave.

"Seth? What? I just spoke to you on the phone and...," Summer said slightly confused, but then, "Cohen, what the hell? You got me nervous!" She said hitting his arm.

"Ow," He winced in pain, rubbing his arm where she had hit him, "Wait, why were you nervous?"

"I don't know. I thought, maybe you were going back to your old self. You being obsessed with your job."

"Summer," He said, putting his arms around her, "I told you. I'm never going to be that person again. This time I'm gonna be here for the three of you. Work isn't going to get in the way, never again. Okay?"

Summer slowly nodded her head as tears started filling her eyes.

"Hey, why are you crying?" He asked, as his thumb wiped away a tear that fell down her face.

"I don't know. You just got me really scared."

"I'm sorry. But you have nothing to worry about, I love you." He said giving her a small smile.

"I love you too."

"Daddy, you're home." Katie said as she walked down the stairs with Jessica following closely after.

"Yeah I am. How are you girls?"

"Good." They said, giving Seth a hug.

"Mommy, why are you crying?"

"Me? I'm not crying," Summer said quickly wiping away any evidence of her tears, "Come on, let's go eat before the food gets cold." She said giving the other three a smile.

"So, anything interesting happened today?"

"Well..." Jessica started.

"Oh, and here she goes." Katie said as her sister started rambling, as the four of them walked into the kitchen together. They were finally once again a real loving family, and nothing was going to come in their way.

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A/N - So that's the end. I personally didn't like this last chapter, but then again, I usually don't like any of my writing, so let me know what you thought about it. I would like to say thanks again to my reviewers!!! Please leave your last thoughts, thanks again:)

Btw, check out my new story, (sequel to 'Our New Journey Together'), 'The Journey's Just Begun'.


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